A favorite prayer ... along the journey.

The Merton Prayer
In Thoughts in Solitude, Part Two, Chapter II consists of fifteen lines that have become known as "the Merton Prayer."


MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Exaltation of the Cross

by Dan Jurek

The months of September and October are some of my favorite months when it comes to feast days in the Church. September 14 is personally one of my favorite feasts, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

As a Lay Franciscan, it is St. Francis' love for the Crucified One that drew me as a young college student into the depths of Franciscan Spirituality and Franciscan Prayer. Francis of Assisi is known for so many things: his love of creation, his love of and for nature; embracing of the leper, union with the poor and his desire that all men and women of good will come to know this Incarnate Christ, found in the person of Jesus. Yet it was the cross that changes Francis' life. It was the cross he sought to embrace. It was the cross that Francis became through the Holy Stigmata - the wounds of Crh

Franciscan spirituality reveals that the meaning of the cross is significant dare I say essential for our personal relationship with the Most High God. St. Bonaventure tells us:

"Let your love lead your steps to Jesus wounded, to Jesus crowned with thorns, to Jesus fastened upon the  upon the gibbet of the cross. Not only see in His hands the print of the nails, not only put your finger into the place of the nails, not only put your hand into His side, but enter with your whole being through the door of His side and into Jesus' heart itself."

My pastor spoke about the cross in a homily and said, " The cross is an instrument of death, not an instrument of inconvenience, or a delightful design for a piece of jewelry." When he said that, I didn't hear anything else that came after the statement. For the Christian is called to death. A way of living that puts to death jealousy, lust, selfishness, ambition  and greed for the things of this world. Upon reflection, I have yet begun to die. I so want to hold on to my "stuff", as though it will somehow bring me long lasting satisfaction.

In his search to find the deeper meaning of God in a world of violence and suffering, theologian Jurgen Moltmann pondered the mystery of the cross as the mystery of God. he wrote:

"When the crucified Jesus is called the image of the invisible God, the meaning is that this is God, and God is like this. God is not greater than he is in this humiliation. God is not more glorious than he is in this self-surrender. God is not more powerful than he is in this helplessness. God not more divine than he is in this humanity. The nucleus of everything that Christian theology says about 'God' is to be found in the Christ event."

Clare of Assisi had a clear focus on the crucified Christ as the spouse of transforming love. Only in union with this spouse, she professed, can we really become transformed in the love of God and radiate the beauty of God's image in our lives. St. Clare proclaims in her letter to Agnes: "If you suffer with HIm, you will reign with Him. If you weep with Him, you shall rejoice with Him. If you die with Him on the cross of trubulation, you shall possess heavenly mansions in the splendor of the saints and, in the book of life, your name shall be called glorious among people."

I am forever grateful for the cross. For as St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians, the cross, "... is the power and wisdom of God" (v.14). I pray that all those seeking to bring peace and justice to this broken world will seek it through eyes of the cross' power: will contemplate it in the teaching of the cross' wisdom.

"May I never boast of anything, but the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." ( Galatians 6:14)

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Dan

An Investment Bankers Advice - A Fisherman's Wisdom

(I read this post from an email on SmartMarriage.com. I'm not certain of the author. I really like what it says to me ....)   

The investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked.   Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna.  The investment banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, only a little while.

The investment banker then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The fisherman said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

The investment banker then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your 
time?

The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full
and busy life, senor."

The investment banker scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you.  You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat.
 
With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution.  You can leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15-20 years."

But what then, senor?

The American laughed and said that's the best part.  When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions.

Millions, senor?  Then what?

The American said, "Then you would retire.  Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

Who Dat gonna take this seriously? Who Dat?

I get it. You don't like the topic. It makes you feel uncomfortable, you think you know it already.

There are plenty of other things to do ... like watch the Saints Game. I get it.

Parents, you NEED to attend this program. I promise to keep it to one hour. I promise to make it worth your "free time". I promise that the information I share with you can save you, your spouse, your marriage and most IMPORTANTLY your kids from becoming victims and/or addicted to pornography. It's the CRACK COCAINE of sexual addiction - GET THAT!

Then you can get back to the game - fired up - GO SAINTS!!!

SO PLAN TO ATTEND:

"Internet Pornography and its dangers to marriages and families"

Presented by: Daniel Jurek, M.Min.,M.A
Thursday September 8 at 6:30 pm

St. Edmonds Catholic Church
Parish Hall
4131 W. Congress Street
Lafayette, LA 70506

The presentation is open to the public. For more information contact the church office at 337-981-0874

Helping me grow in the fullness of faith ...

The reflection below touched me deeply as I read it this morning. This was taken from a summary of the Pope's homily on today's feast of Mary - the Assumption.  Even at 50 years of age, I am working on my relationship with Mary and her role in my life.  
Lord, let me be in some modest way, an ark in which your Son Jesus is present in this world. 

I hope it helps you ... Peace

The pope reflected, "the New Testament tells us that the real Ark of the Covenant is a living concrete person -- it's the Virgin Mary," he said.

Mary offered a new dwelling place for God by carrying Jesus in her womb, showing that God no longer lives in some static location, but "lives in a person and in one's heart," he said.

The pope said Mary invites everyone today to become, "in some modest way, an ark in which the Word of God is present" and has transformed and enlivened one's life.

"A Bug's Life" and Staying in Love - by Daniel Jurek, M.Min., M.A.

One of my favorite all time movie clips comes from the animated movie, A Bug’s Life. A scene opens in the movie as night descends on an SUV parked next to a lone camper. The night sky is beautiful, the air is calm, the stars are bright, the bugs are buzzing, and the crickets are chirping under a gorgeous night sky.

The focus immediately shifts to a bug light hanging from the front porch of the camper. Two small bugs are flying together. As they pass the bug light, you see one of the bugs veer off from its partner toward the light. The other bug screams at the top of its voice, “No Harry no, don’t look at the light”. Continuing to fly straight toward the light, we hear Harry, in a hypnotic like, trance induced voice, “I can’t help it, it’s so beautiful”.  In that instant, the bug light flashes and you hear the dreaded, yet inevitable electrical surge. Harry screams and falls to his apparent death. The temptation allured Harry the bug by its beauty and warmth, but ended up killing him.

Whenever I hear a client, or a friend, or a member at church say to me, "Dan, I don't know what to do. I love my wife/my husband, I'm just not in love any more". When I hear those words, I am absolutely convinced someone else other than their spouse has become the focus of their attention; luring them, distracting them, causing them to lose focus. Yet, like Harry the bug, they still want to say, "I can't help it, it's so beautiful".  The temptation almost always turns out to be more lethal that beautiful.

Usually, people around these folks tempted "by the light" are saying, “don’t go toward the light, look away, look away.” They can see the danger, the inevitable disaster ahead. Yet again, the light is seemingly too beautiful, too perfect, too alluring to turn away.

"Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle" (Anonymous).

There are many distractions out there. Spousal Love is a decision. It’s a choice everyday to honor the covenant relationship of marriage. More about 'love is a decision' another time.

"I give you a new commandment: Love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you." (John 13:34)

Click the link to watch the short clip of the movie I described above - enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coGBgkjGQ9g&feature=related